Programmer's key: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 05:42, 30 December 2014

Revision as of 11:10, 17 October 2015

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[[Image:Macintosh Classic II Left Side Reset Interrupt Switch.jpg|thumb|250px|The interrupt button/programmer's key protruding from the air vent on the left hand side of an Apple [[Macintosh Classic II]] computer (left with a circle symbol)]]

The '''Programmer's Keykey''', or ''interrupt button'', is a button or switch on a [[computer]] which causes an [[asynchronous]] [[interrupt]] request ([[Interrupt request (PC architecture)|IRQ]]) to be sent to the [[central processing unit|processor]]. If a [[debugger]] is installed on the machine, it is activated when the interrupt request is processed, allowing the user to view and usually modify the computer's internal memory. The interrupt is of highest priority, allowing debugging of [[interrupt handler]]s. This is quite useful in [[debugging]] software, which is why it gets its name.

The "key" need not always be a button or a switch. On some computers, it is a pinhole into which a straightened [[paperclip]] - or syringe - must be inserted (to prevent accidental activation).